Marc hake U. S. Marines 1990-1998

Biography of Marc Hake by Ellie Olson, Hannah Koenig, and Saige Heiman

“Freedom means everything. The freedom we have now, no one else in the world has.” This was Marc Hake’s answer to the question, “What does freedom mean to you?” Marc knows a lot about freedom. He was a Marine who was stationed in Saudi Arabia during Operation Desert Storm. He was a part of a combat replacement company and occasionally worked security.

Marc was born on October 21, 1971, in Osborne, Kansas. After his parents got divorced when he was one year old, he then lived with his mom in Salina, Kansas. He also has a sister, a brother, and a half-sister. Marc attended school at Sunset Elementary and the middle school in Salina.

Marc moved to Downs to live with his dad when he was thirteen. He went to Downs Junior-Senior High School until he graduated in 1990. He said he did not enjoy school and that his grades were average. He played basketball, ran track, and enjoyed trap shooting during his school years. Some of his hobbies were drawing and hunting.

Marc was seventeen when he joined the military; it was a delayed entry program. Marc started boot camp in San Diego, California; he went to MCRD (Marine Corps Recruit Depot). Marc claims that it was a “rough three months of my life.” Marc said he enlisted because he did not want to attend college, so the military was his other option. Marc was trained in Field Artillery FDC (Fire Direction Control) and eventually surveyed for artillery. His job was assigned to him based on a military test he took and the combat arms contract he signed. After being assigned to the FDC, Marc went to MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) for artillery at Fort Sill Army Base in Lawton, Oklahoma. Marc trained there for about two months. Marc said, “The school was fun because on weekends I was allowed to spend time with my two best Marine buddies who also went to that school.”

The first place Marc was stationed after basic training was Kaneohe Marine Corps Air Station in Hawaii. His post was to survey artillery, which is working with big cannons. Marc was later stationed in Saudi Arabia during Operation Desert Storm. Marc said, “. . . I never thought I wouldn’t survive,” but it was hard for him to work because at night he would only get about four to six hours of sleep and was often tired. That is because the Marines would often have to go under bunk beds at night for safety due to the firing happening near them.

Marc recalled some of his other military conditions. The Marines’ food came in a box, which was in a little bag, and when they opened the bag of food, everything was wrapped in foil to keep the food warm. Their burritos were wrapped and everything else was packaged separately. Every meal came with a protein bar, and the food was not very good according to Marc. On the weekends the Marines had free time where they could complete normal chores and other activities, such as writing letters. Marc wrote letters to his girlfriend Dionn (now his wife), his parents, his brother, his sisters, and other family members.

After Marc was discharged from the military in 1998, he lived in California for three years where he was a manager of a paintball company. He married his high school sweetheart, Dionn, in 1992. His son Caleb was born in 2000, and his daughter Payton was born in 2002.

Nowadays, Marc focuses on his job trucking grain for The Scoular Company. His hobbies include woodworking, fishing, and building chairs. Marc now lives in Cawker City, Kansas, where he has been for the past ten years. He was also involved with the American Legion (#379) for about ten years.

Marc wants this generation to know, “We all need to know about American history. If this country is so bad, why do so many people want to come here? Therefore, this country is an amazing one.”

Marc received six awards for being a rifle expert and four awards for being a pistol expert during his time in the military. Thank you for your service and for making this country amazing, Marc.